Sports Weekend: Aussie Rules Returns

If any sport is bound in tradition, Australian Rules Football is one of them.  Throughout each season many traditions are followed  by the AFL, many dating back to the founding of the sport. 

The 2020 season will start on Thursday night with the annual Richmond-Carlton clash at the Melbourne Cricket Grounds, because it usually does.  Coronavirus be damned.  If any 19s come up during the night, they will reflect the score, were that even possible,  not the COVID... 

No one knows how many matches will be played, AFL is, after all a Winter Sport, and Australia approaches its Winter cold and flu, and Coronavirus season apparently.  With a few hundred cases, the commissioners were unsure what the spread would be, but after following advice from the health ministry, and civic officials, it was decided the traditional Richmond-Carlton AFL season opener on Thursday night at the MCG could proceed. 

The entire season has been shortened to 17 games, to give greater flexibility in cancelling some weekends without affecting the season, and the option was given to progress directly to the finals series and forgo the final two rounds of the regular season.

The AFL Chief Executive stated "We don’t know how many games we will get into this 153-game journey before we have to pause," he said, "But what I do know today is I feel comfortable with the government and medical advice, and the support of our presidents, CEOs, players and coaches."

The decision came two days after the AFL commission had reduced the 2020 season from 22 matches per club to 17 in a bid to provide flexibility on scheduling in a season which is guaranteed to be severely interrupted. The Commissioners had hoped for some guidance from the national government, which has recently banned gatherings of over 100 people, but the government made it clear that this decision was in the hands of the AFL. 

The AFL has bucked the trend of sports internationally, with the large majority of leading competitions, including the English Premier League, NBA, Major League Baseball and tennis tournaments, putting things on hold.  Last week the Melbourne Formula One event was cancelled. 

Thursday's match starts off a weekend of AFL action, in nine short hours.  The weekend continues with two matches on Friday, and several more on Saturday and Sunday.  Carlton has not won the opening clash for several years, since 2012, and is hungry for a win. The Richmond Tigers are one of the strongest teams in the league.  Action involving  Trent Cotchin and Patrick Cripps will certainly heat up the evening.

Is this a wise decision by Aussie Rules Football?  That really is beyond the scope of this blog.  It is good to see some return to normalcy with a return of the AFL season. 

Saturday Sport: College Football Bowls

The NCAA Football College Bowl season has been well underway for almost two weeks.  Invitations to a bowl can make or break the season of a college football program, at least metaphorically.  

Today the peculiar institution of a four team "national championship" playoff gets underway, with the reportedly top four teams in the country, as of the end of November, compete in Bowls themselves. 

The entire schedule for college bowls includes the following teams (with the results of games already played).

December20

Makers Wanted Bahamas Bowl

Buffalo 31, Charlotte 9

Tropical Smoothie Cafe Frisco Bowl

Kent State 51, Utah State 41

December21

Celebration Bowl

North Carolina A&T 64, Alcorn State 44

New Mexico Bowl

San Diego State 48, Central Michigan 11

FBC Mortgage Cure Bowl

Liberty 23, Georgia Southern 16

Cheribundi Boca Raton Bowl

Florida Atlantic 52, SMU 28

Camellia Bowl

Arkansas State 34, Florida International 26

Mitsubishi Motors Las Vegas Bowl

Washington 38, Boise State 7

R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl

Appalachian State 31, UAB 17

December23

Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl

UCF 48, Marshall 25

December24

SoFi Hawai'i Bowl

Hawai'i 38, BYU 34

December26

Walk-On's Independence Bowl

Louisiana Tech 14, Miami 0

Quick Lane Bowl

Pittsburgh 34, Eastern Michigan 30

December27

Military Bowl Presented by Northrop Grumman

North Carolina 55, Temple 13

New Era Pinstripe Bowl

Michigan State 27, Wake Forest 21

Academy Sports + Outdoors Texas Bowl

Texas A&M 24, Oklahoma State 21

Cheez-It Bowl

Air Force 31, Washington State 21

San Diego County Credit Union Holiday Bowl

Iowa 49, USC 24

We pause here in this bowl schedule to commemorate the Kinnick Wave.  At the University of Iowa Kinnick Stadium, every gameday after the first quarter, a special event happens, something which is very Midwestern.   The children's hospital was specifically built with a twelfth floor overlook into the stadium, so that children in the cancer ward can watch each game from their floor.  At the given moment, players, officials, coaches, and 70,000 fans turn toward that 12th floor to wave at those suffering children.  At night, they turn on their cell phone flashlights so they can be seen.  

This awesome tradition was transported to the Holiday Bowl, as people turned toward the jumbotron to salute the children via the magic of television.  Wealthy Californians also bought several hundred seats for children and their families and nurses from two local children's hospitals.  Well done!  

Now back to the schedule:

December28

Camping World Bowl

Notre Dame vs. Iowa State

Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic

Penn State vs. Memphis

Today's big action includes:  

College Football Playoff Semifinal at the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl

No. 2 Ohio State vs. No. 3 Clemson

State Farm Stadium 8 p.m.

Glendale, Arizona

College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl

No. 1 LSU vs. No. 4 Oklahoma

Mercedes-Benz Stadium 4 p.m. 

Atlanta, Georgia

December30

SERVPRO First Responder Bowl

Western Kentucky vs. Western Michigan

Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl

Mississippi State vs. Louisville

Redbox Bowl

California vs. Illinois

Capital One Orange Bowl

Florida vs. Virginia

December31

Belk Bowl

Virginia Tech vs. Kentucky

Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl

Florida State vs. Arizona State

Sun Bowl Stadium, El Paso, Texas

AutoZone Liberty Bowl

Navy vs. Kansas State

Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, Memphis, Tennessee

NOVA Home Loans Arizona Bowl

Wyoming vs. Georgia State

Arizona Stadium, Tucson, Arizona

Valero Alamo Bowl

Utah vs. Texas

Alamodome, San Antonio

January 1, 2020

Vrbo Citrus Bowl

Michigan vs. Alabama

Camping World Stadium, Orlando, Florida

Outback Bowl

Minnesota vs. Auburn

Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida

Rose Bowl Game presented by Northwestern Mutual

Oregon vs. Wisconsin

Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California

Allstate Sugar Bowl

Georgia vs. Baylor

Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana

January 2

TicketSmarter Birmingham Bowl

Boston College vs. Cincinnati

Legion Field, Birmingham, Alabama

TaxSlayer Gator Bowl

Indiana vs. Tennessee

TIAA Bank Field, Jacksonville, Florida

January 3

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl

Ohio vs. Nevada

Albertsons Stadium, Boise, Idaho

January 4

Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl

Southern Mississippi vs. Tulane

Amon G. Carter Stadium, Fort Worth, Texas

January 6

LendingTree Bowl

Louisiana vs. Miami (Ohio)

Ladd-Peebles Stadium, Mobile, Alabama

January 13

College Football Playoff championship  

Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana

               

Saturday Sport: Aussie Rules, Beach Volley, Army Wolverines

In Rome, Italy, today the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour continues today.  Spots for the Olympics are on the line as teams involved in this world tour play also for glory. The FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour is the worldwide professional beach volleyball tour for both men and women organized by the Fédération Internationale de Volleyball. The World Tour was introduced for men in 1989.  Today, the visit to the Foro Italico in Rome is the final stop on the World Tour before the World Championships, and includes 65 men's teams from throughout the world. 

This afternoon, the US team will face off against Germany in the Men's semifinals, Russia will face off against Norway.  Team USA must be tired this afternoon, as their first match of the day, in the quarterfinals, was a seemingly endless tie, above thirty points per team as the USA finally prevailed. 

Scott Pendlebury

This was a big weekend in Aussie Rules Football, as the season playoffs continue and spots are whittled down toward the Grand Final, played later this month. 

On Thursday at the Optus Stadium, the West Coast Eagles prevailed over Essendon, 116-61.  West Coast has won its fourth consecutive finals match and first final against Essendon. The Eagles won all four quarters on their way to a 55-point margin, but blew the game open with seven goals from 13 forward 50 entries across the first and second quarters. 

Friday night, at the Melbourne Cricket Grounds, the Collingwood Magpies triumphed over the Geelong Cats by a margin of 61-51.  No teams had met so often in the finals, 23 to be exact, with the Cats holding a 12-11 series advantage, a record which was equalized by the Pies win.  Collingwood's Scott Pendlebury played his 300th AFL match on Friday, and has never looked stronger.  It was a  hard-fought win for Collingwood who jumped the Cats early with four first-quarter stoppage goals. The Cats battled back to finish with more contested possessions (157-135), inside 50 entries (50-43) and shots at goal (22-19) but the Magpies managed to hang on.

There were two games on Saturday. 

In the first, the GWS Giants trounced the Western Bulldogs, 113-55, in a final at their home stadium.  This was a huge territorial win of 76 inside 50s to 37 has seen the Giants run out comfortable 58 point winners today. Hopper for the victors had a team-high 30 disposals. Macrae worked hard all day in a losing side with a match-high 32 disposals.  The game was seen as a battle between the competition's two best uncontested possession sides. The Giants had won the uncontested possession count by 31 per game this season, ranked first, while the Bulldogs had won the same category by 29 per game this season, ranked second.  The Dogs, who have been strong in recent seasons, could not measure up to their usual standards. 

Finally, the Richmond Tigers trounced the Brisbane Lions in the weekend's last game at the Gabba, 112-65.  Both teams, who had been 2nd and 3rd on the ladder at the end of the season, came in strong, each having won their last several games.   The game turned into a rout, and a comfortable victory to the Tigers in the end, who made the most of their forward 50 entries, kicking extremely accurately. Richmond recorded 6.1 (37) from set shots in comparison to the Lions 6.6 (42), while the Tigers also kicked 12.1 (73) from general play, compared to the Lions 2.9 (21). Brisbane kicked 1.7 (13) from 30-40 meters out, despite the Lions ranking 3rd for goal kicking accuracy before tonight's game.

In the USA, in NCAA College Football today, an overrated Michigan meets an underrated Army squad.  This game may be more interesting than predicted, as the team from West Point is on a surge. 

Saturday Sport: NCAA Football returns! La Vuelta Begins! AFL ends!

In the United Stages, NCAA College football officially kicks off Saturday with a handful of games that lead up to next weekend's full slate of opening games for teams across the country. This weekend there are only four games, which are not important, and not broadcast by any of the major networks.  This weekend is considered part of next weekend's first round of games.  Yes, it does get a bit confusing.  The biggest game today, broadcast by ESPN, which has an every decreasing viewership, is a rivalry game in Florida, between two of the state's most notable teams. 

The University of Miami Hurricanes will face the University of Florida Gators at the crossroads of the state — Orlando, neutral territory. The Hurricanes and Gators will meet at Camping World Stadium for a primetime matchup that not only has Sunshine State fans giddy, but those from the SEC and ACC clamoring to see which conference gets the upper hand in early-season trash talking.

The Miami Hurricanes were the team of the 1980s with national championships in 1983, 1987 and 1989, with more wins in 1991 and 2001. The Florida Gators won their first national championship in 1996, and followed by titles in 2006 and 2008. And though the two schools fight for state supremacy with Florida State University, other teams with up-and-coming programs have already established themselves as contenders, like Central Florida and South Florida.

Also playing today is Philadelphia's Villanova, playing at  Colgate, Ohio's Youngstown State playing at Samford, and Arizona at Hawaii. 

In Spain, the Vuelta kicks off today!  This is not cycling's most famous race, but some would argue, it is the best. 

The 2019 Vuelta a España is a three-week Grand Tour cycling stage race that is scheduled to take place in Spain, Andorra and France between today and 15 September 2019.   The race will be the 74th edition of the Vuelta a España and will be the final Grand Tour of the 2019 cycling season.

 

This year's Vuelta will consist of 21 stages, totalling over 2000 miles (actually 3272.2 kilometers!)  The 18 UCI teams are automatically invited to the race, of course, and this year there are four Wild Card slots, filled with Continental Teams.  These last should be well known to any fan of cycling, and this year they include  Burgos BH,  Caja Rural–Seguros RGA,  Cofidis and  Euskadi–Murias. 

Steven Kruijswijk (Jumbo- Visma), Primož Roglič (Team Jumbo-Visma), Miguel Ángel López (Astana), Jakob Fuglsang (Astana) and Nairo Quintana (Movistar Team), all well known to readers of this space,  are considered among the pre-race favourites.  In addition, riding for strong teams who can support their bids are Fernando Gaviria (UAE Team Emirates) and Sam Bennett (Bora-Hansgrohe).   Kruijswijk is riding in the Vuelta after having placed third overall in this year's Tour de France.  Another Grand Tour finisher, Primoz Roglic, who took third in this years  Giro d'Italia, is also out for all the glory.  López was on the podium in both the 2018 Giro d'Italia and the 2018 Vuelta a España.

There will be three previous winners of the Vuelta among the participating cyclists : Alejandro Valverde (2009), Fabio Aru (2015) and Nairo Quintana (2016).

The race is scheduled to start with a team time trial in Torrevieja on the Costa Blanca, in southeastern Spain.  The initial evening Team Time Trial has become a standard fixture in recent Vueltas.   The stage is only 18 kilometers (11.2 miles), so it is essentially a showpiece of the teams and riders.  It will be a good opportunity for those who are able to follow it live. 

In Aussie Rules weekend, it all comes down to this, the final weekend of regular season play.  After 22 rounds, there are still four teams gunning for the last remaining finals berth in a very tight race.  One of those four will make it.   Even for the seven teams already assured of a spot in the playoffs, there is so much to play for, including home field advantage, and the glory.  Ah yes, the glory. 

The Magpies could finish as high as third depending on West Coast and Richmond's results.  The Bombers will finish seventh or eighth depending on the Western Bulldogs' result. The Geelong cats could lock in a top two spot with a win, and might take the top spot for the season if Brisbane loses their game this weekend.  

Should Carlton win their game this weekend, Geelong could finish as low as fourth.  Everything is still in play for many Aussie Rules teams, it should be an exciting weekend. 

Saturday Sport: Aussie Focus, Footy and Cricky

With only two more weekends of the Aussie Rules Football, in the regular season, things are certainly getting interesting. 

Today the number one team on the ladder, the Geelong Cats, take on number two, the Brisbane Lions, at Brisbane's home of the Gabba, in Woolloongabba. For Brisbane, today's game is a chance to rubber-stamp its credentials as a premiership contender. The Lions would love to win, obviously, to strengthen their grip on a top-two spot, but more importantly they'd like to play a brand of football that proves to themselves and others they'll be real players in September. 

Geelong started the season very strong, but have been sketchy since their bye week.  They won their first game, and have lost four.  Still, they have headed the table, and are very strong contenders. 

Brisbane has not beat Geelong for several contests.  In fact, they have lost eight straight matches to the Cats since 2013, by an average of 50 points.  This season, Brisbane has scored the most points of any squad, while Geelong has conceded the least points in competition.  It is a classic match-up. 

Meanwhile, Friday night's action saw the Sydney Swans, at a lackluster 15th place on ladder, triumph over Melbourne, aka the Demons.  The young Swans have snapped a six-game losing streak and showed some positive signs for the future with a 53-point victory over the disappointing Melbourne Demons at the Melbourne Cricket Grounds on Friday night.  This was only the Swans' seventh this season, in this "rebuilding" year. They went out ahead by three goals in the early part of the game, and never fell behind. 

The Melbourne squad was scoreless in the second and third quarters. Sadly Melbourne, which is the strong standard bearer of AFL tradition from the home of the sport, and despite recent glory, is fixing to finish the season in 17th place. 

"The Ashes" historically, was a Tour of Australia by the English National Cricket Squad.  During a visit by the Australians in England, during the 1800s, the Australians overwhelmed the English for the first time.  When England was preparing  for their next visit, in Australia, the English press said that they should go and "bring back the ashes" of English Cricket.  So, a tradition was born, and has become any such tour of one country by the other. 

 

English player  Jofra Archer snared his maiden Test wicket as England overcame a sluggish start to put Australia in peril on another rain-interrupted day during the second Ashes Test at Lord's. Australia took the victory in the first test last week.  They won over by 251 runs, in the match which was the ICC World Test Championship, played at Birmingham on August 1-5. 

In Australia's favor, with a full days' play expected today and tomorrow, first-Test savior Steven Smith is at the crease alongside Matthew Wade.  Australia's fortunes could rest largely on what happens with those two on Saturday's resumption after rain forced play to be suspended just minutes before the scheduled lunch break on Friday and abandoned in late afternoon  without another ball being bowled. Today, the contest should be reignited.